That is a good tip. When I started I related it to weight lifting you have set your breathing before you start. I still see other guys pull up thier helmets gasping for air between welds... If you are tense you are not going to do a good job or pick up on learning as quick. Doing something that puts you in a clam state of mind before hand doesn't hurt either. Out in the garage I'll still have few puffs of cigar or a kiss off the old bottle of Beam, put on some old car songs and have at it. I've been tig welding for about decade (makes it sound longer) but if I'm in bad mood it just doesn't flow the same way.
Nothing is more important with tig than cleanlines, make sure the base metal is clean add your filler to the leading edge of the puddle and keep it away from your tungsten. Also when your grinding your tungsten make sure your tungsten is vertical if you come in from the side the hemispherical lines from grinding the tungsten make the arc less stable.
This should have good tips: http://www.millerwelds.com/resources/tech_tips/TIG_tips/troubleshooting.html Maybe the post flow of argon is for the tungsten and the weld: "5. Tungsten oxidation during cooling: Keep shielding gas flowing 1015 seconds after arc stoppage. 1 second for each 10 amps of weld current."
As said before - keep everything clean,run your gas[Ar] at about 12 to 17 on the flow meter, tungsten sharp[2% thoriated for steel],don't dip your tungsten or hit it with the filler rod[ can be a shocking experience] and on a flat surface try laying some beads for a couple of inches just to get the feel of dipping the rod - then try doing it and dip the filler rod about 19 times every inch at a constant heat and constant rhythm. I've been doing mig and tig for 40+ yrs and certified in both.
I've been TIG welding for a little while now and this is what I've picked up... Try to steady your arms or hands some how. Sometimes I'll stick my pinkee finger way out and use it as a guide so my torch hand isn't floating without any support. Or I'll rest my elbow on something. The more steady you are the easier it will be. Keep the tungsten clean. One trick I learned starting out is to pull the tungsten back into the torch pretty far so just the tip is point out. This makes it harder for you to stick it in the puddle. If you do dip it, stop, and sand or grind it clean and start again. Don't keep using a contaminated tungsten. It'll make your welds look like shit. Here's a secret tip that no one ever seems to mention. A lot of times when doing non-structural work (like an exhaust system or something) and you're working with mild or stainless steel you can actually weld without any filler rod assuming you don't have a gap to fill. So if you're butt welding two pieces together start by striking the arc, heating both pieces until they just start to puddle and then lay into the pedal and the two separate puddles will join together. Use your pedal to control the size of the puddle. More pedal means more heat and a bigger puddle. Once you get the puddle size you want, slightly left off the pedal and move over a smidge and repeat the process. You can also use this technique to tack the pieces together and then go back through using filler rod working from tack to tack. Keep in mind that this really only works with ferrous metals. When welding on aluminum you pretty much always have to use rod. By the way I am a drummer and having good coordination definitely helps. Good luck.
Make sure your comfortable. Weather sitting, standing, squatting, or whatever. If your not in a comfy position it's gonna turn out ugly cuz you're unstable. Sure there are going to be times when your not in an ideal position, but for starting purposes this will be to your benefit. I've been TIG'n daily for a while now, I love it. Always learnin something new. This thread was inspirational, as well as informative. Awesome stuff here http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=299587&highlight=incredable+welds Good Luck Cory
If you can O/A weld you are half way home. Keep your tip out of the puddle and dont touch it with the filler rod. Both will send you back to the grinder !!! use anywhere from 10 to 45 degrees off 90 for angle always move forward into shielding argon do not try to go back handed won't work. PRACTICE a lot good luck. Michael
Protect all bare skin from the arc rays. Make sure you button the top button on your shirt or heat coat because your helmet may not completely cover your throat and the cuffs on your gloves cover your wrists.
One thing i didn't see mentioned is that as you are welding the puddle will be dragging any impurities along with it. They are the sparkly things floating on the surface of the puddle. At the end of your bead it is best to drag the puddle off to one side and out of the joint so as to not contaminate the next starting bead. That will defanitely show up on x-ray. LOL Again.. Clean Clean Clean..
Pull up the increadible welds thread here on the HAMB, it will definently do one of the following, inspire you to be as good, or really piss you off LOL. The incredible welds thread has some great info too.
id try starting with a fillet weld....it will be easier to keep a steady straight line while welding (as opposed to a buttweld) as others have said, steady your hands and arms, keep the tungsten sharp and clean and if you have a vertical belt sander, sharpen it so the sparks are flying off the tip... bring the puddle up and start..you dont need to be fast, but you have to be consistent...watch your heat zone, if it starts to get wider and wider, back off a bit, means your material is hot and youre adding more and more heat....again, consistent. I almost always grab a stainless brush and wire brush the color out of my welds (unless of course its a polish finish haha) to inspect my welds (habit from when i was taught) then start destructive testing your pieces...If nothing else, taking a hammer to it will help you relax from the all the tungsten sticking youll be doing (dont worry, all tig welders dig and if they say they dont they're lying haha) good luck man, post em up when youre done....its all practice.
We use a drill to turn tungsten while sharpening. it puts a consistant bevel and centered point on the tungsten. Hold tungsten vertical to grinding stone. Most here have hit on the best tip and that is to practice ,practice ,practice. Gary
100 pecent argon for steel stainless and aluminum.75-25 save for your mig machine.Helium is great for heavy aluminum but a tad difficult to start a arc,so i use a mixing valve to introduce argon to help strike the arc.or just buy it mixed at your welding supply.Try it you will like it.
One thing i would like to mention, is when everyone is saying your metal needs to be "clean", it dont mean only take a hand wire brush to it. you need to take a grinder to the metal and dig into it slightly to make it "bright and shiny" because just about all metal has a "mil scale" on it. mil scale helps protect the metal fom rusting. i usually grind back about one inch from my joint on each side. Good luck bud!
Just to add my two cents... And I don't mean to say this so you fall into any bad habits, but you can get away with a lot more than you'd think with a good tig welder. Obviously you always want your butts to completely meet and for the metal to be shiny clean, but I've welded straight through 3/16" or more thick bondo before (just for kicks), producing welds that I later played holy hell trying to break apart. I mean, you can fill holes the size of your fist with your tig torch and filler rod if you know how to do it. I'm not saying that you should, it's just that you can. The reason I bring all of this up is that I know how stressful it can be to remember every little thing that everybody has told you before you even turn on the damn machine. My advice to you is to just get in there and get dirty. Keep the rudimentary stuff in mind, and just keep educating yourself as you go along. Plus, it's a whole lot easier to know what people are taking about after you've already experienced it.
The Jalopy Journal
